In an exclusive interview with murder victim Aaron Hall’s mother, the Bloomington Alternative reveals the inside story about Aaron’s disappearance, and the shocking events which led to the discovery of his body.

by Denise Travers

Martha Gumm has known hard times. Alcoholism beset her first husband’s life, eventually and inevitably plaguing her sons Aaron and Tom as well. Both Aaron and Tom had multiple run-ins with law enforcement over the years, and Martha came to know the criminal justice system inside out. Her second husband, a truck driver, moved her from the outskirts of Uniontown into Crothersville – but, when he passed away, she found herself alone. Save for her family and friends in Crothersville – where she was born and raised – she had an isolated existence.

But none of the trials of her previous life can compare with the hell she’s endured since April 12, the last day she saw her son Aaron Hall alive. Aaron, having returned in to Crothersville in October 2006 after three years in Arizona, was staying with his mother. That morning, after a discussion about the evening’s activities, Aaron and Martha said “I love you” to each other; Martha went to work at Wal-mart, and returned home that evening to an empty house.

Aaron had disappeared for days at a time in the past – in December 2006, he’d vanished for three days; eventually, it was discovered that he was staying with a friend, and had not called his worried mother on a dare from friends who mocked him for living with her.

So, while Martha immediately had a “mother’s sense” that something was wrong, she waited to call the local police about his disappearance.

Martha called Aaron’s brother, Tom, who was not particularly concerned yet: he thought perhaps Aaron had traveled to Arizona again, or possibly that he’d met a woman online and had gone for a rendezvous. On April 16, four days after his disappearance, Martha encountered a Crothersville police officer and noted Aaron’s absence; the officer, well-acquainted with Aaron’s reputation in town, indicated that the police would “look around” for Aaron.

Seven Days Later: The First Tip

Martha called all of her friends, all of Aaron’s friends, Aaron’s acquaintances in Arizona – anyone who might have a clue as to Aaron’s whereabouts. No luck. On Thursday, April 19, Martha received a phone call from Rick Gayheart, the cousin of Aaron’s best friend.

“Martha, there’s something I gotta tell you,” he said. He then recounted a terrifying story.

Late at night on April 12-13, Coleman King, one of the defendants, stopped by the house of Randy “Ratch” Stidham, Aaron’s best friend. King was looking for cigarettes; Gayheart said that King’s jeans and boots were covered in blood.

King said, “We just beat the hell out of Aaron Hall and dumped him in the country.”

Panicked, Martha asked Gayheart why he was only telling her this story now, a full week after Aaron’s disappearance. “He didn’t have an answer to that,” Martha states. She indicated that she would have to call the police, to which Gayheart said, “I don’t want to be involved.”

Shortly thereafter, Gayheart – who, along with his wife, was intermittently homeless and often lived out of a tent, according to Martha – moved away. Stidham has since moved to Austin, another small town which is, ironically, connected to Crothersville by the small country road that Aaron’s body was dumped beside. Gayheart and Stidham's son -- and their wives -- are listed among those who gave audiotaped interviews in the days after Aaron's body was discovered.

Confronting A Killer

Martha called Randy King, Coleman’s father. Begging him for any information about what Gayheart had told her, she said, “I just want to know where they dumped his body.” Randy King indicated that he’d just gotten home from work, but would talk with Coleman as soon as possible. About ten minutes later, Randy King arrived at Martha’s house with his wife, Lynette, and Coleman. Randy King asked Coleman to tell Martha the truth about what she’d been told about Aaron’s assault.

Coleman’s response? “I haven’t seen Aaron in two weeks, Martha. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

According to Martha, Randy King then looked her in the eyes. “I don’t know if he’s telling the truth or not,” he said; meanwhile, Lynette reported that she had not seen any bloody jeans or boots in the house. They left, leaving Martha angry and desperate. Years earlier, Aaron had introduced Randy and Lynette King to each other. Aaron had spent social time with Coleman since he’d returned from Arizona. These were people who knew her son, and she didn’t know what to believe.

"I didn't see no blood..."

The next day, Friday the 20th, Crothersville Police Officer Darryl Hickman spoke with Martha Gumm. He indicated that he’d gone to the Gray household – site of Aaron’s beating, as would eventually be discovered – and, with Garret Gray at his side, searched for signs of Aaron’s presence.

Hickman told Martha, “I never seen no blood, no clothes, no sign he had been there.”

The Indiana State Police Property Record and Receipt, dated 4/22/07, lists thirteen swabs, cuttings and tape lifts of “red stains” collected in and about the Gray household in the process of securing evidence. “Red stains” were collected from: the truck bed, garage floor, kitchen floor, kitchen island, living room wall, under-oven cabinet, sliding glass door, dining room floor and kitchen hutch.

"A friend of mine told me that after they killed Aaron, Garret and Coleman hunted and killed a few rabbits. They spread the rabbits' blood on the stains made by Aaron's blood, to try to cover it up and prevent DNA identification," Martha notes, jaw set.

To Martha's knowledge, Hickman has not further been involved in the investigation. His name does not appear on the list of primary or supplemental reports provided by law enforcement officers which the State provided in its "Compliance with Discovery" report.

A Ghost on Myspace?

Later on the 20th, members of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department came to Martha’s house to search Aaron’s room and computer. “They stayed in there awhile, behind a closed door,” says Martha; when they left, they took a notebook filled with phone numbers. Upon the notebook’s return, Martha noted that Coleman King’s phone number appeared on the first page.

On Saturday the 21st, Martha went to work but was summoned home by JCSD officers who wanted to gain access to Aaron’s computer again. His Myspace page showed recent activity, and JCSD officers wondered whether that meant Aaron had returned home. When Martha walked into the house, she could tell instantly that Aaron had not been there. It is not known whether authorities have discovered who was updating Aaron's Myspace page.

On her way back to work, Martha stopped by the Crothersville Police Department. At that moment, one officer entered the building looking “white as a sheet.” When Martha, who’d known the officer for years, asked him if he was alright, his ominous answer was a simple, “no.” The officer looked dazed, ghostlike.

In fear of losing her job, Martha returned to work. When she was finally able to return home, her house was full of family – Tommy, Aaron’s brother; Martha’s sister and her daughter; Martha’s sister-in-law; and many others. Martha’s sister and daughter had been out searching for Aaron independent of the police, and reported that they’d witnessed that the road near where Aaron’s body was discovered was closed, and “a whole mess” of people were searching the field and the woods behind it.

"The news no mother ever wants to hear"

On Sunday, the 22nd, Martha awoke to find Bob Davis from the JCSD and Vurlin McIntosh from the Crothersville Police Department at her door. They inquired as to whether Aaron had been wearing long underwear on the day he disappeared; Martha indicated that, while she didn’t know for sure, it was highly likely, as Aaron was a small man and very sensitive to the cold. Davis and McIntosh exchanged looks, and told Martha, “We’ll come back in an hour or two with more information.”

Upon their return, Davis and McIntosh reported that they’d discovered a body in the garage of Terry Gray, deputy coroner for Jackson County and father of one of the defendants. The body, wrapped in a tarp, could not be identified – the officers indicated that it had been rushed to Louisville for a morning autopsy, and that officers could not unwrap the tarp for fear of losing evidence. Aaron’s brother Tom “threw a fit” at this, understandably frustrated that they had discovered a body but would not uncover it to confirm it was Aaron.

McIntosh indicated to Martha that, out of concern for her, he would travel to Louisville in the morning to identify the body. When he arrived at her house on April 22, he told her that, indeed, the body was that of Aaron Hall.

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Martha Gumm recounts the harrowing timeline of her son’s disappearance and the investigation thereof with a calm yet exhausted face. It is only when she comes to the end of the story -- and reflects upon her sadness at not being able to see Aaron’s body -- that she breaks into tears. The finality of the situation is overwhelming. The strain of the experience has changed her life.

And she has a lot more to say about it.

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NB: Watch the Bloomington Alternative for more upcoming posts from our interviews with Martha Gumm.

Denise Travers is a citizen journalist/blogger, graduate student, and 18+ year resident of South Central Indiana. Email Denise at citizendlt@gmail.com.